London Penns floral love letter to New York

There is something distinctly British in the air at Penn Station this week. As the countdown begins to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, and Prince William and Kate Middleton prepare to welcome their third child, London is celebrating its blossoming spring of new beginnings.

This week, London’s famous East End has decended onto North America’s busiest transport hub for 6 weeks with an immersive and interactive experience.

Taking inspiration from the Columbia Road Flower Market – a uniquely London event that has brought together people from all walks of life from across the world for over 100 years – more than 600,000 commuters will get the opportunity to get a taste for London’s spring in full bloom.

A joint promotion between London & Partners, United Airlines and Heathrow Express, the United Airlines’ store at Penn Station will transform into a uniquely British floral utopia with colorful flowers such as tulips, daffodils and hyacinths.

People will be able to immerse themselves fully in London life by stepping inside an iconic red phone box to experience 360° videos of the UK’s capital city and will also be inspired with information around royal and spring events through special digital kiosks.

Grammy nominated US saxophone player, singer and composer Kat Rodriguez will perform special busking sessions throughout the six weeks to add a musical touch and literally put the ‘spring’ in people’s steps as they head to and from work. Kat has performed with the likes of Beyoncé, Erykah Badu, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Missy Elliot to name a few.

Special invites will be handed out to entice commuters to not only discover the market, but also enter a sweepstake to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to London.

The USA is a key market for London with 2.32 million visitors coming to the capital city in 2016. Between April and June 2017, visitors from North America rose by 30 per cent to 976,000 and the expenditure rose by 23 per cent to £764 million.

From historic towers to working palaces, thousands of visitors flock to London to experience royal attractions, tours and activities. Whether it’s visiting the Queen’s London home, Buckingham Palace; discovering Henry VIII’s favourite residence, Hampton Court Palace; shopping in some of Kate Middleton’s favourite stores in Chelsea, or watching the Changing the Guard ceremony.

Laura Citron, Chief Executive of London & Partners said:

“We are very excited to bring a piece of London to New York this spring. With so many extraordinary things happening and great events all over the UK’s capital city, we want to inspire Americans to discover everything London has to offer. “We are rolling out the red carpet to the world, encouraging people to discover London’s unique range of royal experiences, from following in the footsteps of Henry VIII to discovering where Prince Harry and Meghan went on their first date.”“We hope commuters passing through Penn Station take a moment to enjoy our traditional East End flower market and we look forward to welcoming everyone to London this spring!”

United Airlines offer five daily flights from New York/Newark to Heathrow’s Terminal 2 – The Queen’s Terminal. On arrival, visitors can reach central London in 15 minutes using the Heathrow Express.Bob Schumacher, United Managing Director for the U.K. and Ireland said: “For summer 2018 we offer five daily nonstop services from New York/Newark to London Heathrow. United operates from Terminal 2: The Queen’s Terminal, which provides the most modern facilities at the airport. “We are proud to have served London Heathrow for more than 25 years and the whole United family look forward to welcoming all of our customers visiting the U.K. during this exciting year of the royal wedding.”

Fraser Brown, Heathrow Express Director, said:

“We are delighted to be part of this beautiful new campaign highlighting spring in London – one of the best times to visit. Our famous parks and gardens are coming into bloom and visitors are often surprised about how green our city is. “Give yourself more time in our wonderful city by taking Heathrow Express – the fastest route into central London – which takes just 15 minutes, and enjoy a green, sustainable mode of transport too.”

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